April 17, Escape From A Family’s Sick Culture Around Money (and Signpost #3 That You May Be a Compulsive Debtor)

Thought for today:
One DA member vividly recalls how they stopped saving when their parents “borrowed” their piggy bank savings at age seven to put food on the table one day. The weeks went by and the money was never returned or even spoke about again.
The family hid this and other shames for years, and eventually went through a bankruptcy court proceeding that caused even more humiliation and shame.  (“The feelings you refuse to feel run your life”, this member said.)
Taxes were  way overdue.  The cloud of missed financial obligations was inevitably passed from one generation to the next.  Like training wheels on a new bike, the children learned that money was evil, that people who earned a decent living at a respectable job were from another planet, and that entrepreneurs were fools destined to lose everything.
Only the noble, impoverished artist had any value in this family’s eyes.  The suffering of this  world was barely survivable.
Forget about tomorrow.  Tomorrow, to this family, was always bleak.  They believed they would always be alone and forgotten.
And so this family’s culture of deprivation and neglect was legitimized by a downward-spiraling illusion that there would never be a way out.  The only possible way to live was to go further into debt, even to the point of taking money from the most vulnerable members of the family and never mentioning it again.
As an adult, this person referred to DA by a therapist, and latched on to the program for dear life.  They consider their recovery a miracle, and credit the DA program with saving them from their family’s sick culture of depression around money.
Today, their example of DA recovery has led many other members into a life of sane and happy usefulness.  Their thoughts on the subject?  “It seems like the worse your life was before DA, the more miraculous your life is after joining DA.”
Am I willing to consider that tomorrow might actually be bright for a change?  Can I look forward to good things happening again?  If not, am I asking for the help I need?
Signpost Three: “Poor saving habits. Not planning for taxes, retirement or other not-recurring but predictable items, and then feeling surprised when they come due; a ‘live for today, don’t worry about tomorrow’ attitude.”
Meditation for today:
If you are feeling isolated, trust in the positive effects your Higher Power can offer.  There is always hope for a brighter tomorrow, even if those around you say otherwise.  Nothing can keep you from the love of your Higher Power, or the wisdom available through HP’s spirit. “Trust your Higher Power, and clean house.”
Affirmation for today:
“I am rewarded for all my hard work with more profits than I could ever imagine.
“Today I will find surprisingly good results and prosperity wherever I look for it.”
Prayer for today:
I pray that my Higher Power shows me where my limited thinking is holding my recovery back, and that I get the strength to let go of unhealthy habits.
Great Read:

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